Cryptography: the history, what it is, and how to use it in everyday life
What is the first thing you think of when you hear or read the word "cryptography"? Those somewhat unfamiliar with the concept certainly imagine something extremely complex and technological, employing almost incomprehensible mathematical calculations to make life online safer. What few people know is that this craft is much older than cybersecurity – in fact, it was created long before computing, with initial use by the Egyptians dating back to 1900 B.C.!
In line with this historical context, let's focus on the most classic example of cryptography: the Caesar cipher, invented by the Roman Empire (27 BC to 476 AD), and named after Emperor Julius Caesar. Compared to today's ciphers, it was quite simple and archaic: to cipher a text, we simply substitute one letter for another of the alphabet following a specific exchange number. So, when encrypting a text with three "shifts" forward, the word "hello" would become "khoor", for example.
For centuries, cryptography was used for a single purpose: to protect military information and communications so that enemies would not be able to understand commands or strategies if a message were intercepted. Another classic example of military cryptography is the Turing Machine, created by British citizen Alan Turing to decipher encrypted communications from German troops during World War II. The invention is considered crucial to the eventual defeat of the Nazi Party.
You’re using it without realizing it!
At the end of the day, it’s pretty simple to explain what cryptography is: it’s the art of making information unreadable to third parties by "scrambling" the characters in such a way that outsiders cannot interpret that text. Naturally, with the advent of personal and professional computing, as well as the emergence of cyber threats and the need to protect online information, this age-old technique has been improved and has become ubiquitous in the digital world.
Nowadays, you use encryption when simply accessing a website! After all, all trusted web pages use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol, which employs a Transport Layer Security or Secure Sockets Layer (TLS/SSL) certificate to create a secure "tunnel" to protect communication between your device and the final server. This is something so basic that even modern browsers prevent you from accessing a site without a digital certificate.
We also have cryptography built into hardware (such as cryptographic chips in some models of smartphones and laptops), banking systems (including credit cards) and so on. And don’t forget about cryptocurrencies: there is an entire community of crypto-economy enthusiasts trading, selling and buying tokens registered in blockchain networks, a technology based entirely on cryptography.
Boosting your security
Although encryption is already built into much of the hardware and software that we commonly use in our daily lives, it’s worth remembering that adopting advanced encryption methods strengthens our online security. A good example of this is using a virtual private network (VPN), which adds an extra layer of protection to your data traffic and which is also able to mask your IP address, making you anonymous on the web.
After all, encryption is no big deal. With a little bit of study, it is easy – and highly recommended! – to optimize use to ensure the security of your files and data.
